Communist Party of Turkey starts petition against NATO

The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) starts a petition against the NATO, calling people to the anti-imperialist struggle on the ranks of those who can fight imperialism sincerely.

Against Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) ostensible campaign against imperialism, which has been attached to their discourse for a while, the TKP is determined to enhance the range of the true anti-imperialist struggle. In this respect, the TKP’s petition is both for quitting the NATO and shut-down of the US bases in Turkey.

In their weekly Boyun Eğme newspaper, the TKP released a statement that calls people to fight imperialism. Explaining how even the word “imperialism” has become practically expurgatory in Turkey in the past two decades, the statement underlines that the current discourse shown as an anti-imperialist act is just a claptrap.

According to what the AKP says, notes the TKP, “Turkey is no longer dependent upon the West. Turkey no longer does what the US says, nor sees Germany irreplaceable. Instead, now there is a Turkey who can mobilise its armed forces without the consent of the US, and sends ultimatums to Germany. This is what they include in their discourse. In practice, however, the case is exact opposite.”

The TKP explains that the AKP makes moves to refresh confidence with imperialists such as the US, Germany, or the UK, while the US military bases remain where they are. Saying that the reactionary bourgeoisie and the AKP have no other purpose than finding new roles for themselves in the imperialist order, the TKP emphasizes that “communists are determined to uncloak these hypocritical patriots”.

The TKP maintains that it is necessary to “end the imperialist exploitation, and get rid of imperialism not as a foreign force, but as an establishment of exploitation who has made the Turkish bourgeoisie a part of itself”.

The petition started by the TKP is titled: “Turkey must quit the NATO, and the US bases in Turkey must be shut down!” People are called to sign the three articles that demand (1) the US and NATO bases in Turkey to be shut down, (2) confiscation and disassembly of nuclear weapons in those bases, and (3) quitting the NATO, calling back all Turkish soldiers who serve in NATO bases or operations abroad.

As a part of the whole campaign conducted by the TKP, the Communist Youth of Turkey (TKG), the youth organisation of the TKP, has also been carrying out a series of rallies, statements, and protests against imperialism and the NATO.